Transcriptome analysis of "Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum" in its psyllid vector, Bactericera cockerelli

PLoS One. 2014 Jul 3;9(7):e100955. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100955. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

"Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum" (Lso) is an emergent pathogen of carrots in Europe and solanaceous plants in North and Central America and New Zealand. This bacterium is closely related to other pathogenic Candidatus Liberibacter spp., all vectored by psyllids. In order to understand the molecular interaction of this pathogen and its psyllid vector, Bactericera cockerelli, Illumina sequencing of psyllid harboring Lso was performed to determine if this approach could be used to assess the bacterial transcriptome in this association. Prior to sequencing, psyllid RNA was purified and insect and bacterial rRNA were removed. Mapping of reads to Lso genome revealed that over 92% of the bacterial genes were expressed in the vector, and that the COG categories Translation and Post-translational modification, protein turnover, chaperone functions were the most expressed functional categories. Expression levels of selected Lso genes were confirmed by RT-qPCR. The transcriptomic analysis also helped correct Lso genome annotation by identifying the expression of genes that were not predicted in the genome sequencing effort.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Base Sequence
  • Daucus carota / microbiology*
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Hemiptera / genetics*
  • Hemiptera / microbiology
  • Insect Vectors / genetics*
  • Insect Vectors / microbiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Rhizobiaceae / chemistry
  • Rhizobiaceae / genetics*
  • Solanaceae / microbiology*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins

Grants and funding

Funding for this work was provided by NIFA-AFRI grant 2012-67013-19431, Texas A&M University 2012 WSGI Catalyst and 2011 Texas A&M University-CONACYT: Collaborative Research Grant Program Project No: 9577. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.